Age of onset of hypertension and risk of dementia in the oldest-old: The 90+ Study

María M Corrada; Kathleen M Hayden; Annlia Paganini-Hill; Szofia S Bullain; Jaime DeMoss; Colette Aguirre; Ron Brookmeyer; Claudia H Kawas

doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2016.09.007

Age of onset of hypertension and risk of dementia in the oldest-old: The 90+ Study

Alzheimers Dement. 2017 Feb;13(2):103-110. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2016.09.007. Epub 2017 Jan 17.

Authors

María M Corrada¹, Kathleen M Hayden², Annlia Paganini-Hill³, Szofia S Bullain⁴, Jaime DeMoss⁵, Colette Aguirre⁵, Ron Brookmeyer⁶, Claudia H Kawas⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
³ Department of Neurology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Neurology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
⁵ Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
⁶ Department of Biostatistics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁷ Department of Neurology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.

Abstract

Introduction: We investigated the association between age of onset of hypertension and dementia risk in an oldest-old cohort.

Methods: Participants are from The 90+ Study, a population-based longitudinal study of people aged 90+ who are survivors from the Leisure World Cohort Study. We estimated hypertension onset age using self-reported information from The 90+ Study and Leisure World Cohort Study, collected about 20 years earlier. A total of 559 participants without dementia were followed every 6 months for up to 10 years.

Results: A total of 224 participants developed dementia during follow-up (mean = 2.8 years). Compared with those without hypertension, participants whose hypertension onset age was 80 to 89 years had a lower dementia risk (hazard ratio = 0.58, P = .04) and participants with an onset age of 90+ years had the lowest risk (hazard ratio = 0.37, P = .004).

Discussion: Developing hypertension at older ages may protect against dementia. Understanding the mechanisms for this lower risk is important for determining ways to prevent dementia in the very elderly.

Keywords: Blood pressure; Dementia; Epidemiology; Hypertension; Oldest-old; Risk factors.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Age of Onset
Aged, 80 and over
Antihypertensive Agents / therapeutic use
Dementia / complications
Dementia / epidemiology*
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Hypertension / complications
Hypertension / drug therapy
Hypertension / epidemiology*
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mental Status and Dementia Tests
Proportional Hazards Models
Risk Factors
Self Report
Severity of Illness Index
Surveys and Questionnaires

Substances

Antihypertensive Agents

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding